Brand equity and event image: Moderating effect of sponsorship

The paper discusses the conceptual understanding of the moderating role of sponsorship on brand equity towards event image. There are many factors that can influence attendee’s perceptions in the event, for instance, the brand of product and services, activities, past experience, and sponsorship. Sponsorship is the most popular investment tools used by the owner of brands or organization nowadays for them to be recognized among the public. However, there is still unclear understanding if brand equity or sponsorship can influence and attract the consumer to attend the event and give positive perception (image). This paper specifically focuses on examining the effect of brand equity (brand awareness and brand image) on event image when sponsorship is the moderating factor. A Multiple Regression Analysis will apply to examine the direct and moderating effects hypotheses. The sampling design is using convenience sampling for respondents from the MATTA Fair 2017 visitors. The conceptual framework used in this paper offers a good point for examining sponsorship dimension are important in the event, especially in event tourism research. The study outcomes provide implications for academic and practical perspectives.